Giants Meet With DT D.J. Reader

New York is considering a veteran addition in that department, with veteran reporter Jordan Schultz indicating the team brought in D.J. Reader for a visit Monday. Reader has also visited the Ravens; the veteran D-tackle is making the rounds and expected to sign somewhere post-draft.

That timeline aligns with the compensatory deadline, with another wave of free agency beginning annually due to teams waiting until May to sign UFAs due to them not counting against their comp-pick formula for the 2027 draft. Reader played out a two-year, $22MM Lions deal. He will be looking for a fourth NFL contract, having moved from Houston to Cincinnati to Detroit during a 10-year career.

Despite Reader coming off the second quadriceps tear of his NFL career (sustained in 2023), he started every game he played for the Lions. Reader, 31, missed only two games during his two-year Detroit tenure. The 330-pound defender graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 32 overall interior D-lineman last season and slotted 36th in 2024. He checked in higher as a Bengal, with PFF grading the Clemson alum as a top-11 DT from 2021-23. That span included a Super Bowl LVI start; Reader registered a sack in that close Cincinnati loss.

Harbaugh’s former team plays the compensatory system shrewdly every year. The Ravens hoard comp picks, regularly signing veterans after the draft. Baltimore often stocked its edge-rushing corps this way, and while Harbaugh has already added several ex-Ravens (Isaiah Likely, Patrick Ricard, Jordan Stout, Ar’Darius Washington, Daniel Faalele) in an active Giants free agency period, his former team’s tactics point to more roster-building work coming after the draft.

The Giants allowed 5.3 yards per carry last season, ceding at least 220 yards in three games (against the Commanders, Eagles and Lions). Lawrence has asked for a trade, but as our Adam La Rose noted in his most recent mailbag, that likely has more to do with extension talks than a full-on desire to leave New York. That said, the Giants are not believed to be planning a raise for Lawrence after a down season. That will test the eighth-year D-tackle’s resolve. It seems doubtful this Reader visit will cause Lawrence to cave, given the latter’s status as a two-time All-Pro.

Big Blue is believed to be more open to moving Kayvon Thibodeaux than Lawrence, whom Harbaugh has labeled a core player. The Giants are not expected to deal Lawrence, but they will listen to offers. If a big proposal is accepted, the Giants will be in dire need of DT help. More than just Reader would need to be added in the event an unlikely trade commences.